How Far is the Earth From the Sun
Our Sun provides us with all the warmth and light we need. It is essential for life and, if it could be harnessed, produces enough energy to power the whole planet. The Earth is the only planet in the solar system that supports life and part of the reason for this is the distance of the Sun from the Earth. If we were too close to the sun the Earth would become too hot for life and if we were further away from the sun the Earth would be too cold.
How far is the earth from the sun?
The distance from the Earth to the Sun varies throughout the year because of the Earths position in orbit. At Earth’s furthest distance from the sun (called Aphelion) it is about 152 million km (94.5 million miles) away. At its closest it is (called Perihelion) it is 147 million km (91.4 million miles) away from the Sun. Aphelion occurs around the first week in July and Perihelion occurs in the first week of January each year.
The average distance from the Earth to the Sun is the official measurement. It is called 1 astronomical unit (or AU), which is a common measurement of distance used in astronomy. 1 AU is equal to 149,?597,?870.7 kilometers (92,955,807.3 miles), which is also recognized as the official distance between the Earth and the Sun. At this distance the light travels from the sun to reach the Earth in 8 minutes and 19 seconds.
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